Earlier in September, Iron Galaxy and Microsoft Studios announced that fighting game Killer Instinct would come to Steam, offering crossplay support with the Xbox One and Windows 10 versions. There was no release date issued at the time, but it was expected to hit soon. In this case, "soon" means "today," because Killer Instinct has dropped onto Steam out of the blue.

While Killer Instinct offers up a free version on Xbox One, the Steam version only comes in a $40 variety. However, it comes with every piece of content released for the four-year-old fighting game to date, including all of the game's 29 DLC characters, 20 stages, cosmetic outfits and colors, and game modes.

There is a significant downside to grabbing KI on Steam, as noted in the FAQ. Because Steam operates as a separate storefront, those that already picked up the Xbox One or Windows 10 versions of the game cannot take their purchases with them to Steam. Likewise, purchasing the Steam version does not allow for players to bring that content along to the Xbox One. The Steam version of KI is a fully standalone package, albeit one that can play with other platform owners. Developer Iron Galaxy recognizes some other issues with skin packs that come with this proposition and is looking to address those shortly.

"Currently, skin packs have been a purchasable product on Xbox and Windows," reads the FAQ. "The reasoning behind having them bundled into Steam is beyond my developmental comprehension, but what I do know is that we didn’t have a perfect solution for everyone. Bundling them in with Steam means that those who purchased the packs may feel slighted. Leaving the packs out of Steam meant that a subset of players wouldn’t have access to the wonderful Gold & Terror skins. Ultimately we decided on the following, and most important part of this paragraph: all Gold and Terror skin packs will be free for KI: Definitive Edition owners in the coming days."

Killer Instinct is out now for $40 on Steam, while various versions remain available on Xbox One and Windows 10. For those looking to get started, let's revisit the 3.9 patch overview below.

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

Bummed that there's no crossbuy. I really want to take advantage of big screen mode and controller support over steam link.

I use a steam link out in my living room on my big TV, but I can't use a controller when launching KI outside of steam, so I can only play KI on my computer in my office. Would be nice to be able to have KI available for couch play with multiple people (tried MK10 but wasn't a fan).